How our People Team drive an inclusive environment where everyone has the potential to thrive
01 September 2023 Category: People
This week is National Inclusion Week, which celebrates inclusion and taking action to create inclusive workplaces where colleagues can thrive.
It is important to us that our colleagues feel motivated and can put their best foot forward for the business each day. Diversity and inclusion bring a diverse range of ideas and perspectives that truly benefit the whole business.
As part of Inclusion Week, we asked the Heads of our People Team why inclusion is important and what they do to support inclusivity within their roles.
Samantha Gosrani, Head of Talent and Engagement, said, “It is important to understand that everyone is unique and brings a diverse range of culture, beliefs and knowledge to the workplace. Inclusion develops a culture where people can come to work and feel comfortable in themselves, feel a sense of belonging, and are happy and engaged. This creates more collaborative teams and drives performance. At Nviro, we are proud to have a diverse workforce, but it is important that our colleagues feel included and that we embrace each other’s uniqueness, to foster collaboration and innovation. As Head of T&E, we support a range of people into employment. We check all of our job adverts to ensure they are inclusive and work with local job centres and organisations to support people with disabilities and people in long term unemployment (for a variety of reasons) into work. We work hard to be inclusive throughout the recruitment process, considering accessibility. We also review pay regularly to ensure equal pay for equal work. We also recognise and share colleagues experiences of religious and cultural celebrations as well as holding regular colleague ‘drop ins’ on a variety of subjects such as menopause and cost of living support”.
Mandi Hartley, Head of HR said, “Inclusion is important because it ensures that people from various backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are welcomed and valued, they can contribute to the workplace, and this provides a better understanding of how we can work together and overcome any problem. Inclusion is important at Nviro as inclusive teams make better decisions and it is more attractive to candidates to attract a diverse pool of candidates. It promotes fairness and equal opportunities for all colleagues. As Head of HR, my department plays a pivotal role in creating policies and initiatives that promote inclusion among our colleagues, which leads to a more harmonious and productive work environment”.
Lucy Clifford, Head of Learning and Development, said, “When diversity and inclusion are implemented successfully, they create a workplace where colleagues feel valued, respected, and encouraged to be themselves. A one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work when it comes to training and the development of a truly diverse workforce, as colleagues have different development needs. It’s L&D’s job to incorporate diversity and inclusion, and we do this by making sure that all development is bespoke to the learner. Whether this is an induction training plan or ongoing development needs, our team ensures that all journeys are bespoke, to allow for the best possible learning experience and learning that has impact. Our e-learning platform is designed so that the language of the learner can be changed to support those who do not speak English as a first language, this allows for the best possible learning environment and enhances the impact of learning. As part of any new development journey, we consider the way in which our colleagues prefer to learn, in terms of their learning style and offer support to anyone with learning difficulties. We ask for input from a variety of colleagues across the business when designing new training programmes, this ensures that an inclusive approach is taken, and has the benefit of enhanced creativity outside of L&D. Ensuring that our colleagues have access to learning is important, with a hybrid and remote workforce, we ensure that our colleagues have the right technology to support their development and that they have access to development at a time and at a location that is convenient to them. Our e-learning platform supports us with this, and all face-to-face workshops are delivered to ensure that all remote colleagues can attend a training programme that is local to their regional place of work”.
